The trip
Overview
December in Bavaria is the Christmas-card original: carved wooden stalls under cathedral spires, bratwurst smoke in freezing air, and gingerbread recipes that predate the printing press. This short rail-based journey takes in three of Germany's finest market towns — Munich's grand Marienplatz market, Nuremberg's famous Christkindlesmarkt, and the walled medieval town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber — in a five-night run that fits neatly around UAE December commitments.
For UAE residents the appeal is straightforward and slightly contrary: real cold, real Christmas atmosphere and mugs of glühwein you have to hold with gloves — the exact things a Dubai December, for all its virtues, cannot supply. Direct flights from Dubai to Munich bracket the trip, and everything in between moves by comfortable train.
Highlights
- ✦Munich's Marienplatz market beneath the glockenspiel
- ✦Nuremberg's Christkindlesmarkt, the most famous in the world
- ✦An overnight in walled Rothenburg after the day-trippers leave
- ✦Glühwein, lebkuchen and the three-in-a-bun Nuremberg bratwurst
- ✦A snow-dusted Bavarian Alps day trip if the weather obliges
Who it suits
- ●UAE residents craving real winter and real Christmas atmosphere
- ●Couples and families making a December tradition of the markets
- ●Rail-minded travellers who like their touring done from a warm carriage
Why this journey works
- ✓Direct Dubai–Munich flights make a five-night December escape effortless
- ✓Three markets in ascending intimacy: grand city, famous original, walled town
- ✓The Rothenburg overnight delivers what day-trippers never see
Day by day
Days 1–2
Munich — the grand opening
The direct flight from Dubai lands you in Munich by mid-afternoon, in time for a first glühwein on Marienplatz as the lights come on. A full day follows: the market sprawl from the Frauenkirche to the Residenz courtyard, the Viktualienmarkt's food stalls, and an evening in a beer hall where the roast pork does not apologise. Pack proper coats — this is the real December.
Days 3–4
Nuremberg — the Christkindlesmarkt
An hour on the fast train to Nuremberg, whose market has run since the sixteen-hundreds. Two nights: the stalls of the Hauptmarkt under the Frauenkirche balcony, the Zwetschgenmännle plum-figure sellers, the children's market and the medieval castle above it all. A guided walk sets the history straight, including the city's sober twentieth-century chapters, told properly.
Day 5
Rothenburg — the medieval overnight
Branch-line trains deliver you inside the story-book: Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a completely walled medieval town whose Reiterlesmarkt fills the central square. The trick is the overnight — once the tour buses leave at dusk, you and the locals get the lantern-lit lanes, the night watchman's tour and the year-round Christmas emporium to yourselves.
Day 6
Home to the UAE
Morning trains return you to Munich airport for the direct afternoon flight home, glühwein mugs and lebkuchen tins in the hand luggage.
When to go
German Christmas markets generally run from late November until the days just before Christmas, with some — including Rothenburg's emporium — extending further; exact opening dates vary by town and by year. Expect daytime temperatures around freezing and dress accordingly. The final pre-Christmas weekends are the busiest; early December midweek is the connoisseur's window.
Planning around seasons, regions and style? Read the full Germany destination guide →
What’s included
- ✓Return flights from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Munich
- ✓First-class rail between Munich, Nuremberg and the Rothenburg branch line
- ✓Five nights in central four-star and historic hotels, daily breakfast
- ✓A guided old-town and market walking tour in Nuremberg
- ✓PCT travel consultant support before and during travel
Not included
- —Travel insurance
- —Lunches and dinners
- —Market spending — bring cash for the stalls
- —Personal spending
Ways to extend it
- +Add two nights in Salzburg or Vienna for the Austrian markets
- +Add a Bavarian Alps day trip to Zugspitze or Neuschwanstein
- +Extend to Prague by direct train from Nuremberg
- +Add a New Year city stay in Munich
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